Fruit Basket Upset, Vehicle-Style

The guys (Hubby and older son) were helping stack hay bales for the Boss yesterday. In the afternoon, younger son and I took drinks and snacks to them. As it ended up, we rode with Hubby for several rounds, and I even rode one stint with Son. This was all quite an adventure to me. I've not ever really been involved in hay-hauling before.


Well, there WAS the time recently when I hauled ONE ROUND BALE on the back of the cantankerous feed pickup (Boss's), and had a real adventure with it. I'd rather not go there! Let's just say "mission accomplished," but next time I want a better pickup!


Now, I have stacked square bales before, back in my younger days. While studying "horse science" at a jr. college, we had a pretty good-sized stack of alfalfa hay out back for the horses. One day several of us were stacking bales, and one girl said she couldn't help, because she had hurt her back. So she watched while the rest of us labored mercilessly.


THAT SAME DAY, in the afternoon, the farrier came to the barn. What did this girl do? The girl that had hurt her back and couldn't help us stack bales? SHE CARRIED THE FARRIER'S ANVIL FROM HIS PICKUP INTO THE BARN. Show-off. Hurt back indeed.


Well, back to yesterday's scene. I thought it was rather amusing. Younger son and I arrived at the place they were stacking. Hubby was in Boss's pickup, with the round bale hauler behind (hauls 6 bales in-line). We got in with him and rode awhile. Meanwhile, Boss was in his son-in-law's pickup, rounding up parts. Son-in-law was in Boss's tractor in the field, doing the loading of round bales onto Hubby's trailer. Older son was in Boss's cantankerous feed pickup, moving and stacking the bales into rows north of the house. Our two vehicles were parked at Boss's Daughter's house. So it was all rather mixed-up. And guess which one didn't have any air conditioning? The old feed pickup not only didn't have any air conditioning, it was also overheating. Our older son definitely had a hot job!!


When I decided to go one round with son in the hot, cantankerous, overheating pickup while he stacked bales at a rip-roarin' pace, I was outside, so I reached in through the driver's door of Boss's pickup to get my fountain drink from the store. Got in with Son, and braced myself for a wild ride. Actually, he did a great job, and I'm so proud of him I could bust my buttons. All I can think of is when he was born, this little bitty baby, and now here he is a tall, strong, smart young man whipping around in a cantankerous feed pickup, stacking bales like a madman. Plus all the other stuff he's gained experience doing with this farm thing.


It was hot. I decided I needed a drink. Got my cup and took a good swig throught he straw. BLEHH!!!! *HACK! HACK!* This is WARM! Surely my ice didn't melt that fast!! Come to think of it, this doesn't taste like Dr. Pepper, either. Oops ... I had accidentally grabbed Boss's old, stale cup of iced tea (now hot tea) from probably the day before. Ohhhh boy!!


I did gain some experience yesterday that I hadn't done before. I got to unlatch the bale holders on the trailer, and tip the bales off on the other side. Some went willingly, others needed a little help with a shoulder push. So I'll add "bale tipping" to my repertoire of unusual skills.


And once again, modern technology through cell phones proved to be a help out in the middle of nowhere. Younger son and I finally decided to head back to town, so we left Hubby, and went to get in the car. As he pulled away, I saw that the front bale thing had come unlatched and was tipped. Though I figured he or the loader would see it in time, I thought it wise if Hubby knew. So I texted him, "Bale thing is unlatched - front one." He answered back, "Got it." Beats chasing and hollering and unexpected tipped bales any day!